By Justin L. Smith
Slow…Children at Play, an improvisational comedy troupe, was founded in late 1997 by actor and director Tim Simek because he wanted a more consistent creative outlet than auditions could provide. The group’s moniker represents Simek’s philosophy that we are all just “kids” who want to “go out and play!”

The group, similar in structure to The Groundlings, is layered into two troupes. The second-tier group (“The Deuce”) is comprised of beginning improv actors who, with time and experience, eventually graduate to the next level (“The Core”). Some standouts from The Deuce include D’Jef Baker, Wayne Berg and Heidi Popp while The Core boasts strong performances from Davis Choh, Kelly Boczek, Jason Gareffa and co-director of The Deuce, Ian Flanders, among others.

Anyone who’s seen the popular show Who’s Line is it Anyway? knows the routine of improv games. While Slow…Children at Play mines some of this familiar territory, most of the games are fresh and some, as far as I could tell, completely homemade, including a comical rendition of “Sitcoms You’ve Never Seen.” The group also cleverly utilizes multimedia to present a hilarious “mockumentary” during the performance.

Improv is inherently an extremely difficult thing to pull off, probably more so than stand-up comedy, because of the lack of prepared material. The performers are literally “winging it” all the way through the show. But Slow…Children at Play performs with grace and style, and occasionally provides the chuckles, too. And because it is generally unfavorable to swear or use ‘blue’ material in the improv world, the performances are extremely family friendly.
In addition to regular performances at The Andrew Benne Studio in North Hollywood, the group also performs at private parties, corporate functions and other various venues.
Catch Slow…Children at Play at The Andrew Benne Studio, 4930 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood. Contact (818) 410-PLAY for performance information and be sure to visit their comprehensive website, www.slowchildrenimprov.com